


so let the party & the sounds rock on

by xslytherclawx



Series: HP Rare Pair Bingo - Round 1 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Getting Together, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Harry Potter Rare Pair Bingo: Round 1, House Party, M/M, Minor Character(s), Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 03:49:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21264581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: Anthony's a little old to be trick-or-treating, so Michael gets it in his head to go to a college party.





	so let the party & the sounds rock on

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my Rare Pair Bingo square for T009: High School AU  
I have to be at work in 8 hours but this was a better use of my time  
lyrics from rocky horror bc of course.  
will code the text messages when i don't have to go to bed.

Halloween is  _ technically _ not a Jewish holiday. Well, it’s more than that. It is, technically speaking, actually a  _ Christian _ holiday, which means that he’s technically not supposed to celebrate it. But Anthony Goldstein doesn’t really care about that. He isn’t Orthodox, anyway, and even though his dad grew up Conservative, his parents have been attending a Reform shul as long as he’s been alive. That's where he celebrated becoming a Bar Mitzvah, and that's where he had his confirmation, and that's where he served on the NFTY board for several years.

He likes Buffy marathons with his friends, dressing up to go trick or treating (which he’s universally acknowledged to be too old for now – but that’s why he has kid cousins), eating tons of candy (and trading his gummy worms for chocolate with Michael and Terry and Padma, except now they get the candy directly from their parents or buy it themselves, and Padma has become a vegan).

He likes the decorations, and he  _ loves _ dressing his dog up in silly costumes. He likes dressing up and seeing Rocky Horror with his friends, and he likes going to see the newest gory horror movies with them, too, while Terry whispers about how they managed the effects.

Really, if he’s honest, Anthony Goldstein just really loves Halloween.

He already has plans to go into Philly on Halloween night with his uncles and cousins (who are, last he asked, going as various Marvel characters), but he doesn’t have plans besides going to Walgreens after shul on Saturday and buying a metric ton of candy, going over Terry’s house, and watching Buffy.

But then Michael sends a message to the group chat on the friday before Halloween. It’s just after school, but before shul.

> **Michael** : We’re going to Ginny Weasley’s brothers’ party tomorrow night.
> 
> **Terry** : wow thanx 4 asking
> 
> **Michael** : You’re welcome
> 
> **Anthony** : Are you sure GINNY WEASLEY will be ok with it?
> 
> **Padma** : Especially considering she’s your ex
> 
> **Terry** : (pointing emoji)
> 
> **Michael** : It’s her BROTHERS’ party & they invited me & Cho
> 
> **Terry** : there it is
> 
> **Anthony** : So you’re inviting us to a jock party?
> 
> **Michael** : If you’d rather stay home I mean that’s your choice I guess but I’m going and I thought I’d be kind enough to invite you fucking assholes

* * *

In the end, he goes. Mostly because Michael won’t shut up about it. He tells his parents he’s hanging out with Michael and Terry and Padma in costume (which is true), and they send him along without any further questions. Because they know he’s a good kid who doesn’t go to parties.

Well.

He’s going with his friends. And it’s not like he’s going to drink.

Michael picks him up in his parents’ minivan. He’s wearing his USMNT jersey, which is exactly the kind of thing he’d call a costume, even though he wears his jersey, like, all the time.

He climbs in the back with Terry and Padma. Terry talked all month about wanting to reuse his Eleventh Doctor costume from Philly Comic Con, but that afternoon, he dragged Anthony to the mall to go to Hot Topic that afternoon to grab the last Scoops Ahoy costume they had. (He was insistent that the Halloween store was a  _ last resort, _ because the costumes were stiff and scratchy). 

Padma, on the other hand, is reusing  _ her _ costume from Comic Con: Padmé Amidala with a Desi twist. She did the makeup and hair, but she changed out the heavy gowns for a salwar kameez. It got her a lot of compliments (and photos) at Comic Con, and it’s pretty fantastic.

From what Anthony can see, Cho is dressed like the DC Cinematic Universe’s Wonder Woman, which actually suits her, though he’s sure Terry has words about the fact that her costume is clearly store-bought.

As for Anthony himself, he’s going to this party as TRN700 Peter Parker (a.k.a. The version of Spider-Man from Into the Spiderverse), because… fuck it.

They listen to Cho’s (admittedly excellent) Halloween mix on the way to the party.

“Are you wearing that with your cousins next week?” Cho asks from the passenger’s seat.

“Well,” Anthony says. “Yes and no. I’ll wear the mask with them.”

“What are they going to be?” Padma asks. “They were Luke and Leia last year, right?”

“Yeah,” Anthony says. “This year, I think they’re going to be Captain Marvel and Goose.”

“Goose, like the cat?” Cho asks.

“Not a cat,” Terry says under his breath. Anthony jabs him with his elbow.

“Yeah,” Anthony says. “Goose like the cat.”

He somehow didn’t realise when Michael had said “Ginny’s brothers’ Halloween party” that he meant an actual  _ college party. _

He feels nervous as Michael parks on the side of the road by a house in the university town where three of Ginny’s six brothers live.

“Michael,” Padma says. “What the fuck.”

“What?”

“This is a  _ college _ party?”

“Yeah?” Michael says. “I kinda thought that was obvious.”

“It wasn’t,” Terry says.

“Anth,” Michael says. “What do you think? And before you answer, you might wanna consider who Ginny’s friends are, because she’ll definitely be here.”

Anthony knows exactly what Michael means by that, damn him. His mind goes immediately – as he knows Michael plans – to one of Ginny’s friends in particular. Neville Longbottom.

He’s had a giant, pathetic crush on Neville ever since Michael had dated Ginny sophomore year and he and Neville had found themselves third- and fourth-wheeling at homecoming.

They aren’t  _ friends, _ Anthony and Neville, not really, but they’re in some of the same classes and are always friendly to each other. At least as long as Anthony didn’t make an idiot out of himself.

Neville is nice. And cute. And surprisingly funny, even though he’s kind of quiet. And Anthony is absolutely smitten –  _ and _ Michael is well aware of that.

“Fine,” Anthony says.

“Oh, come on!” Terry says. “You can flirt with Neville at school. Which is, need I remind you, a  _ high school.” _

“It’s not like I’m going to drink.” This is, after all, a lot different from Kiddush or Seder.

“So that’s two for, two against – looks like Cho’s the tiebreaker.” Michael turns to her. “What do you think?”

“I want to go,” she says.

Michael grins. “Then it’s decided. Democratically.”

“Fuck you,” Terry says.

* * *

This is nothing like the parties in the movies.

For one, they walk right in the open door. The house is decorated like a haunted house, or maybe just like they raided the Halloween store.

For another thing, there’s no music blasting. There’s a Bluetooth speaker on the coffee table that’s playing something that Anthony can only assume is a YouTube playlist of haunted house sounds.

There’s no keg. No one’s pressing drinks into his hand. 

There  _ are _ people all over, but they’re mostly talking and laughing, and some of them  _ are _ drinking, but it’s not the craze of hormones and fights that teen movies have led him to believe.

And he doesn’t see Neville anywhere.

So he sticks close to Terry and Padma, which apparently means sitting on a worn, stained sofa, eating Old Bay potato chips, while Michael and Cho make out five feet away.

A guy in a cowboy costume looks at them. “How do you know Lee?” he asks in a thick accent – Eastern European if Anthony has to guess.

Terry looks panicked.

“We know Fred and George,” Anthony says, which is true, though he definitely wouldn’t consider them  _ friends. _ He’s not sure he’s ever really  _ spoken _ to either of them.

“Oh, yes,” the guy says. “George is Lee’s boyfriend.”

Anthony didn’t know that (he didn’t even know that George isn’t straight), but he nods. “Padma used to date George’s brother Ron.”

Padma glares at him. “It was homecoming freshman year, and an awkward movie the next weekend. I don’t think that  _ counts.” _

“Well, Michael used to date their sister Ginny. Before, uh…” He gestures to the tangled mess that was once Michael and Cho.

The guy nods. “George has a big family.”

“Yeah,” Anthony agrees.

“My name is Viktor. I study sports management with Lee.”

“I’m Anthony. This is Padma, and Terry.”

“You are Jewish?” Viktor asks, pointing to the Magen David around Anthony’s neck. “You wear the star.”

Anthony’s acutely aware that he’s talking to a guy from Eastern Europe – a place that’s historically not great when it comes to Jewish people. “Uh, yeah,” he says. “But this is for the costume – Peter Parker’s Jewish-coded, anyway, but Peter Parker from Into the Spider-Verse is kinda explicitly Jewish. And blond. So.”

To his surprise, Viktor smiles. “Me, too. From Bulgaria. There are not many of us.”

“My family’s been here for about a hundred years, give or take, but I think one of my ancestors came from Sofia. At some point, anyway. But I’m Ashkenazi.”

“My grandmother was Ashkenazi,” Viktor says. 

* * *

Anthony has all but given up hope of seeing Neville, but then he goes to the kitchen to get a soda and he sees Ginny, who makes eye contact with him. She’s wearing a USWNT kit, and her short red hair has been colored hot pink. 

She greets him with a hug. “Hi!” She smells strongly of alcohol.

“Hi,” he says. He doesn’t say that her costume is comically in line with Michael’s, because he’s not in the mood to get punched. Ginny has a solid right hook.

“Your costume matches Neville’s,” she says once she steps away. “Have you seen him?”

Is he that obvious? “No. I, uh, didn’t know that he was here.”

Ginny laughs.  _ “Never _ become a lawyer. You can’t lie for shit. Come on; he’s downstairs.”

She grabs his hand and leads him to the basement, where he sees a mass of red hair – so this is where all the Weasleys have gone off to.

“This is George’s boyfriend’s house – there they are, sucking face. Mr. Hyde and Bob Belcher.” Ginny leads him right past them to a peeling leather sofa where Neville and Luna are sitting. “I found a friend,” she says as she throws herself down on the sofa.

“Anthony!” Neville greets, grinning.

“Hey,” he says. To Ginny’s credit, she was right: Neville  _ is _ Spider-Man, too. He’s just… a different one.

“Are you Peter Parker from Into the Spider-Verse?” Neville asks. “Because the hair and the Star of David – not that he wore one in the movie, but that’s probably easier than stomping on a glass in every room.”

“Yeah, I am!” Anthony says. “And you’re Peter B. Parker!”

Neville blushes. “Yeah.”

“You look great! I–I mean, the costume looks great. You look great, too, of course, but the costume is just – perfect.”

Neville’s blush deepens. “Thanks. You look great, too.”

“I  _ told _ you you match,” Ginny says. “And  _ I’m  _ Megan Rapinoe, not that anyone  _ asked.” _

“I’m a witch,” Luna says, as if her hat isn’t a dead giveaway.

“You two look great, too,” Anthony says. “And I like Megan Rapinoe a lot.”

_ “Everyone _ likes her,” Ginny says. “She’s hot, talented, and  _ ugh.” _

Luna pats her shoulder. “There, there.”

“What, um, made you pick Peter Parker?” Neville asks. He mouths,  _ she’s drunk _ over Ginny’s shoulder.

“Oh, uh, well, obviously there’s the Jewish thing, and I don’t need a wig, or anything. But really, my kid cousins are going as Marvel characters, too, and I’m going to take them out trick-or-treating on Thursday so my uncles can have the night to themselves.”

“Are they going as other Spider-Men?” Neville asks.

Anthony shakes his head. “Captain Marvel and Goose.”

“Oh, that sounds fun,” Neville says. “I wish I had cousins, or siblings, or something.”

“I mean, my aunt and uncle are, like, real adults with jobs and husbands and everything, and they  _ still _ argue every seder, so there’s that.”

_ “And _ since  _ you _ don’t have siblings, you don’t have to watch them  _ suck face with their stupid boyfriends!” _ Ginny shouts.

Without detaching his face from Lee’s, George flips her off.

“Fuck you!” Ginny shouts.

“Ginny,” Luna says. “Why don’t we go to Lee’s room and take a nap?”

“But I’m having fun,” Ginny says.

“We could make out in Lee’s room,” Luna says.

“Vengeance!” Ginny yells. “I love it.” She grabs Luna by the hand and drags her upstairs, leaving Anthony and Neville alone.

Well, that’s hardly subtle.

“Ginny said you’d be here,” Neville says.

“She did?” Anthony asks. Did Neville ask, or did Ginny just volunteer that information? He really doesn’t want to make Neville uncomfortable, but he also  _ really _ wants to know if this is just him.

“Yeah,” Neville says, his cheeks still adorably pink. He’s not quite meeting Anthony’s gaze, but Anthony can’t fault him for it.

“Are they, um, are they dating, or…?”

Neville laughs. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think  _ they _ know. I know I feel like a third wheel  _ a lot.” _

“I know how that feels,” Anthony says. “I like Cho, but she’s there every time Michael wants to hang out. Which would be fine if they didn’t spend the whole time sucking face.”

“I guess that’s what they’re doing now?” Neville asks.

“Last I left them.”

“I have to say,” Neville says. “It’s  _ really _ unnerving to watch Mr. Hyde make out with Bob Belcher.”

“Nah,” says a voice behind them. Anthony turns around to see Fred Weasley – dressed almost exactly the same as George. “That’s Dr. Jekyll.  _ I’m _ Mr. Hyde.”

“Hi, Fred,” Anthony says.

“I didn’t think I’d see  _ two _ Spider-Men at my party,” Fred says. “Christ, did you  _ see _ Cedric? He looks  _ just _ like Edward Cullen. It’s kind of creepy. I think that’s all I can see now when I look at him.”

“Isn’t it Lee’s party?” Neville asks.

Fred waves a hand idly. “Semantics. I did all the work. Well, me and Viktor, but mostly me. George was too busy sucking Lee’s face off, and Viktor’s never done Halloween before.” He claps his hands. “Anyway! I thought those of us who  _ aren’t _ currently sucking face might enjoy a game?”

“What kind of game?” Anthony asks, because even though this is probably the first conversation he’s properly had with Fred, he knows his reputation as a prankster.

“Cards Against Humanity. Lee’s got the full set.”

Neville blushes. “Oh, I, uh, I think I’d really rather… hang out here.”

“Oh?” Fred asks, wiggling his eyebrows and giving them both a  _ far _ too knowing look. “Well, if you’re sure. There’s lubes and condoms in the upstairs bathroom, just in case!”

Anthony can  _ feel _ himself blush, and he can’t look Neville in the eye. “I think that might be a little much,” he says.

Fred just winks and walks off.

“W-well,” Anthony says.  _ “That _ was… something.”

“That was Fred,” Neville says. “I’ve known him long enough – once he senses a weakness, he tends to go for it. George is a little nicer.”

A weakness? “Oh.”

“I, um, I agree about the condoms, though. That’s a little much.”

A little  _ much? _ The thought occurs to him, as crazy as it might be, that… maybe Neville might like him back. Ginny definitely  _ did _ do her best to push them together, and Luna leaving them alone is probably not a coincidence, either. He feels his stomach twist.

“Do you… maybe want to go for a walk?” Neville asks.

“Outside?” Anthony asks.

“Yeah. Um, if you want to?”

As if he’d ever say no. “Okay,” he agrees.

They get up, go upstairs, and walk right out the front door. The party’s a little louder now, and the people are more drunk, and there seem to be two people having sex on the lawn, which – what the fuck? – but Neville seems to know where he’s going, so Anthony follows.

“Fred keeps trying to sell me on this school,” Neville says. “But I’m applying to basically every one in the area, so… it’s all about who wants me.”

“I’m sure lots of schools will  _ want _ you,” Anthony says.

“Thanks,” Neville says. “I hope you’re right. Are you, um, applying in the area?”

“Oh,” Anthony says. “Penn, Penn State, Johns Hopkins, and a few safety schools. I really want to go to Penn, though, because it’s in Philly, and I love Philly, and I can see my uncles and cousins whenever I want, and I can go to the synagogue where my Uncle Isaac’s a rabbi, and I can come home to visit my parents and my dog on the weekend. I mean, I can do  _ that _ at Penn State or Johns Hopkins, too, but.”

“I like Philly a lot, too,” Neville says. “I, um, I hope this isn’t weird, but it’s nice to hear that you’re… planning on staying nearby.”

“It’s not weird at all,” Anthony says, and holy shit, does Neville actually  _ like _ him? “Maybe we can, uh, hang out? I mean, we don’t have to wait for college for that, but…”

“Maybe…” Neville says, like he’s trying something. “Maybe we could hang out next weekend?”

Anthony can feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he kind of wants to throw up, but, like, in a good way. “Like a date?”

The only light is street lamps, but even in that low light, he can see Neville blush. “If you want to. If not, then no pressure.”

“I want to,” Anthony says. Quickly. Probably too quickly. But holy fucking shit, Neville  _ likes him back? _

Neville smiles, and he actually looks relieved. “Good. Um, do you want to…? I don’t think we have each other’s numbers.”

“Oh,” Anthony says. “Right. Um. Padma has my phone, because, um, y’know, the costume? But I can put my number in your phone and you can text me?”

“Okay,” Neville agrees, so he gets out his phone and they do just that. Their hands brush the slightest bit when Neville hands the phone over to Anthony, and Anthony does his best not to react, but he feels a jolt and nearly drops the phone.

“There,” Anthony says, handing the phone back to him.

“Great,” Neville says. “Thanks. And I, um… would you mind sending me a picture of when you go out with your cousins? It just sounds really nice.”

“Yeah, of course,” Anthony says. Oh, god, his cousins are never going to let him live this down. His  _ uncles _ are never going to let him live this down. “Though I’ll be wearing the mask for most of it, I think.”

“Oh, of course,” Neville says. “You have to protect your secret identity.”

Anthony laughs. “Obviously.”

And then.

And _then_.

Neville kisses him underneath the streetlight in this college town twenty minutes away from their suburb, and it’s perfect and wonderful and everything he’d always hoped kissing Neville Longbottom would be and Anthony realises Michael is  _ never _ going to let him live this down.

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on [tumblr](http://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com)!  
Please feel free to join my [Harry Potter discord server](https://discord.gg/yb6bS3c)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [all dressed up with no place to go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320308) by [xslytherclawx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx)


End file.
